When, God forbid, a school bus has an accident, it is always tragic. Even more tragic is the fact that kids on that bus might become projectiles—thrown through windows, paled against the floor, crammed between seats. The measure has tried—and failed—many times: why not put seatbelts in buses?

Of all vehicles that should be outfitted with seatbelts, why is it that those big yellow boxes that haul loads of kids around lack those life-saving straps? Sure, it’s been that way forever. When you get on a school bus, you don’t have—or get—to wear a safety belt. However, common sense and legal sense and safety sense are flashing a bright red stop sign to this stupid behavior.

With traffic on the highways as crazy as it is, it is high time to mandate that every school bus across the country have seatbelts available to every rider. Just think about what could happen—and has happened—should a bus have a head-on collision while travelling on the interstate. With ceilings as tall as they are, you’d have quite a ways to glide before jamming your head into the metal ceiling. Or being thrown before colliding with 35 more students in midair. Or being projected into sharp metal and glass that line the bus.

And why does the bus driver have a seat belt why all the students go without? Yes, he is closer to the windshield through which unstrapped children might fly, but is he more important than the young children who sit behind him? Is he more valued than the smiling second-grader who sits two rows back?

As is the case with a lot of best laid plans, the financing is what lies at issue. Can you imagine the cost of equipping every bus in every school district in every state in the country? But, can you imagine the eternal heartache two parents might suffer should their child die while riding home from school? The suffering through which severely injured kindergarteners must endure as they experience a horrific accident? If putting a seat belt on every bus in the country—no matter the cost—saves one child’s life, your child’s life—wouldn’t that be worth it? If we can throw $700 billion to save Wall Street, surely we can throw several million to save innocent children.

None of the finger pointing should come as a surprise. That’s what people do when their side loses. However, the hoots and hollers drown out a simple and resounding reason for the passage of Proposition 8: More Californians voted for the measure than voted against it. Voting on the measure charged the residents of California with deciding whether or not to allow same-sex couples to marry. And they decided—by a four point margin.

At the end of the day, what matters is not who paid for a Yes on Prop 8 sign, who gave $5K to defend their right to marry, or what organization—though they are certainly entitled to do so—endorsed and gave money to support the passage of Proposition 8. What matters is that the people of California went to the polls on November 4—they had a direct voice in the on goings of their state—and cast a ballot for or against the measure.

It would be of high interest and probably no controversy—ok, maybe a little—had a religious organization pledged their money and support against the passage of Prop 8.

Coming up on Christmas, the finger-pointing should end and upset Californians should recognize this: the state had faith in its citizens to make the right decision for or against Proposition 8. The majority voted for it. And Proposition 8 passed.

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In the third quarter of AP English Language, we practiced writing arguments. On each Wednesday for six weeks, we would publish an argument as a blog post. To create the post, we would pick a topic (I usually just scanned the headlines on my Google Reader account), research the topic (which usually consisted of Internet searches for articles to support our opinion), and write an argument. In addition to learning how to use such valuable tools as Google Reader, we also developed personal style, and we were finally able to employ those rhetorical devices that we had learned so much about!

In this artifact, called Unnec*ssary Censorshi*, I point out the many difficulties brought about by our school’s current Web firewall.

Standards Covered:

• Process—Students shall employ a wide range of strategies as they write, using the writing process appropriately.
• Purpose, Topics, Forms, Audiences—Students shall demonstrate competency in writing for a variety of purposes, topics and audiences employing a wide range of forms.
• Conventions—Students shall apply knowledge of Standard English conventions in written work.
• Craftsmanship—Students shall develop personal style and voice as they approach the craftsmanship of writing.
• Media Literacy—Students shall demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media as a mode of communication.
• Communication and Collaboration—interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media; communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats.
• Research and Information Fluency—locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
• Digital Citizenship—advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology; exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity; exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.

Back in August of 2007, our AP English teacher overwhelmed us with this foreign type of writing assignment called a style analysis—after all, who had ever heard of a “style analysis”? A style analysis prompt asks the student to analyze the rhetorical strategies employed by a given author in a given passage. We practiced in groups, outlined, and finally worked our way up to writing a full blown response—and we have done many, many of them since then. In the artifact above, I analyzed a William Hazlitt passage titled “On the Want of Money.” Analyzing a work of literature is very important, not only in preparation for the AP English Language test and college, but for becoming a responsible adult and citizen. Also, reading and analyzing the rhetorical strategies of accomplished authors helps one to better his own writing.

Standards Covered:

• Process—Students shall employ a wide range of strategies as they write, using the writing process appropriately.
• Purpose, Topics, Forms, Audiences—Students shall demonstrate competency in writing for a variety of purposes, topics and audiences employing a wide range of forms.
• Conventions—Students shall apply knowledge of Standard English conventions in written work.
• Craftsmanship—Students shall develop personal style and voice as they approach the craftsmanship of writing.
• Comprehension—Students shall apply a variety of strategies to read and comprehend printed material.
• Variety of Text—Students shall read, examine, and respond to a wide range of texts for a variety of purposes.

 During the first, second, and third nine weeks of AP English, we defined a set of words each week.  The words ranged from rhetorical terms to tone words to advanced diction.  As a class we discussed the literal meaning, use, and connotations of the words, all in an effort to improve our comprehension, expand our vocabulary, and better our writing.

Standards Covered:

• Vocabulary, Word Study, Fluency— Students shall acquire and apply skills in vocabulary development and word analysis to be able to read fluently.

In the first semester of AP English Language, our teacher allowed us to pick a topic to research (over which we would later write a research paper.)  I chose abortion and all the social issues surrounding it.  To being my research, I utilized the Internet database EBSCOHost.  After searching through hundreds of articles, I found one concerning a proposed law requiring women to view an ultrasound image of their developing fetus before having an abortion.  I read the article, analyzed the author’s point of view, presented my opinion on the topic, and pointed out the rhetorical devices that the author used in the passage.  I also published this source analysis on my blog for collaboration purposes.

Not only did the process help me better understand the proposed law, but it also taught me how to use an Internet database, how to summarize an article, how to present my viewpoint, and how to cite the source.

Standards Covered:

• Purpose, Topics, Forms, Audiences—Students shall demonstrate competency in writing for a variety of purposes, topics and audiences employing a wide range of forms.
• Conventions—Students shall apply knowledge of Standard English conventions in written work.
• Craftsmanship—Students shall develop personal style and voice as they approach the craftsmanship of writing.
• Comprehension—Students shall apply a variety of strategies to read and comprehend printed material.
• Variety of Text—Students shall read, examine, and respond to a wide range of texts for a variety of purposes.
• Research/Inquiry Process—Students shall engage in inquiry and research to address questions, to make judgments about credibility, and to communicate ideas in ways that suit the purpose and audience.
• Communication and Collaboration—Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media.
• Research and Information Fluency—locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media; evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks; process data and report results.
• Digital Citizenship—Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology; exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity.

During the third quarter of the year, our teacher asked us to choose a classic novel to read and complete a reading response journal.  I chose John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men.  Reading with “rhetorical eyes,” I scoured the novel for rhetorical devices.  Interestingly, even though the book was fiction, I found many rhetorical devices within the novel.

Standards Covered:

• Purpose, Topics, Forms, Audiences—Students shall demonstrate competency in writing for a variety of purposes, topics and audiences employing a wide range of forms.
• Conventions—Students shall apply knowledge of Standard English conventions in written work.
• Foundations of Reading—Students shall apply concepts of print, acquire knowledge of spoken words and understand the relationship of speech to print as they develop a foundation for literacy.
• Comprehension—Students shall apply a variety of strategies to read and comprehend printed material.
• Variety of Text—Students shall read, examine, and respond to a wide range of texts for a variety of purposes.
• Vocabulary, Word Study, Fluency—Students shall acquire and apply skills in vocabulary development and word analysis to be able to read fluently.
• Creativity and Innovation—Create original works as a means of personal or group expression.

To prepare for the AP English Language test, it is important to be able to analyze visuals–ads, commercials, cartoons.  To prepare us for this, our teacher divided our class into groups and directed us to analyze an advertisement from a magazine.  We chose to analyze a Dove ad, one that included an American icon–Wilma Flintstone.  The ad was infused with rhetorical devices!  We then presented the analysis to our class using Microsoft PowerPoint.

Standards Covered:

• Speaking—Students shall demonstrate effective oral communication skills to express ideas and to present information.
• Media Literacy—Students shall demonstrate knowledge and understanding of media as a mode of communication.
• Comprehension—Students shall apply a variety of strategies to read and comprehend printed material.
• Variety of Text—Students shall read, examine, and respond to a wide range of texts for a variety of purposes.
• Creativity and Innovation—Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes; create original works as a means of personal or group expression.
• Communication and Collaboration—Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media; communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats; contribute to project teams to produce original works or solve problems.
• Digital Citizenship—Exhibit a positive attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity; exhibit leadership for digital citizenship.
• Technology Operations and Concepts—Understand and use technology systems; select and use applications effectively and productively.